Concert Review: Band Of Horses and Dinosaur Jr. (Hellbender)

BY JILL POOLE

Thunder and lightning marked the debut of Asheville’s newest outdoor music venue. Weather didn’t derail the opening night of the Orange Peel’s Hellbender outdoor venue, just delayed it a bit. Although the weather delay caused a longer entry line, everything else seemed to run smoothly for Hellbender’s inaugural show featuring Dinosaur Jr. and Band of Horses.

J. Mascis, Lou Barlow (Happy Birthday Lou!) and Murph wandered out on the stage and gave the crowd that HAD already made it inside a great set. The band performed 1993’s album Where You Been and threw in The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” and “Feel the Pain” to end their set. There were definitely some 2nd generation Dinosaur Jr. fans - I met two sisters who had come from Houston with their father, and were excited for their first show.

As night descended, Band of Horses took the stage. The band’s Asheville ties may not be as strong after the departure of Tyler Ramsey and Bill Reynolds in 2017, but their local fan base has clearly not diminished. Current BOH members: Ben Bridwell, Creighton Barrett, Matt Gentling, Brett Nash, and Joel Graves performed the 2006 album Everything All the Time. The heartfelt vocals of Bridwell were complemented by the energy (and vocals) of guitarists Nash and Gentling. Barrett and Graves may have been less visible on the back riser but their rhythm section provided the base for the distinctive BOH sound. The last song played from the album was “St. Augustine” and then we heard “Is There a Ghost,” “Factory,” “Crutch,” “No One’s Gonna Love You,” and “Laredo.” J. Mascis came out to join on “In A Drawer” before the band ended the night with “The General Specific.”

In spite of the weather and the delays it may have caused, it was a great night for Dinosaur Jr. and Band of Horses fans. It was also an impressive debut for Asheville’s newest outdoor venue, Hellbender by the Orange Peel.

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JILL POOLE

It’s Christmas. I think I was 7. And there’s an album with my presents. The Everly Brothers Greatest Hits. I was hooked - I still have that record and a few more. On my 16th birthday, I got a job just to buy a real stereo, and more records. I still have all that “vinyl” as we call it today, and my 1977 Advent speakers connect to a Sonos system now.

When I was younger I had a love-hate relationship with live shows but it’s all love now. And I always watched the photographers in the pit. (And tried to take the perfect shot myself on an increasingly capable iphone) But for the last few years I’ve had an actual camera again and it’s so much better.

I want people who couldn’t BE there, who couldn’t get up to the stage - I want them to see what I saw - to feel what I felt.

You can’t hear a photograph, but sometimes... if it’s a good shot - it’s almost as if you could.

Read Jill's posts here.